Getting Comfortable

[slabghost]

My new to me 98 Valk is great for just 20 miles. Just 70 miles yesterday had both my wife and I cramped and numb. I'm 6ft tall @ 185lb. My wife is tiny. I'm planning to change the bar angle and possibly the clutch and brake masters. Highway pegs can be moved. Biggest question here is what to do about the seat. Any suggestions?

[Bone]

Bought a 98 Tourer with 22k it now has 125k. Took off the passenger seat.  I'm about your size rode a couple of 600 mile days and was so happy to reach my destination. Then I went to the 2000 Honda seat (about $70 then) its a much better fitting (to me) seat. Put in the small bar risers (1inch) that relieved the upper back pains. Haven't been on any long rides since.

Here is the old and new seats together so you can see the difference.

[TJ]

Ultimate seats...   

[slabghost]

Bought a 98 Tourer with 22k it now has 125k. Took off the passenger seat.  I'm about your size rode a couple of 600 mile days and was so happy to reach my destination. Then I went to the 2000 Honda seat (about $70 then) its a much better fitting (to me) seat. Put in the small bar risers (1inch) that relieved the upper back pains. Haven't been on any long rides since.

Here is the old and new seats together so you can see the difference.

What model Honda seat is that?

[sandy]

New seats are very expensive. Try AlaskanLeather for a sheepskin seatcover. If you end up with another seat, the sheepskin is still a good addition for the highway.

[Bone]

The seat was for the Valkyrie Tourer and Standard. Haven't looked at the current price I'm sure it went up.

Edit; Maybe they are no longer available.

Edit: My records show I paid $93.75 in 2011 from Honda Direct Line
        Item #77200-MZO-A80
        Seat--  86.25   
        Shipp--  7.50

[BonS]

The newer model seat is PN 77200-MZ0-A80, SEAT ASSY., MAIN, and is $89.86 at Service Honda.

[Bone]

The price increase is only $3 and change I thought it would have been more.

[slabghost]

 :cooldude:Thanks a lot guys I'll be looking into that seat. Any reports on the mustang seats?

[BF]

:cooldude:Thanks a lot guys I'll be looking into that seat. Any reports on the mustang seats?

Mustang seats sit you higher and further back that any seat that I've had (including the ultimate king big boy).  Mustang is a firmer ride and probably not for everybody, but I keep going back to it as my main seat (also have a Corbin). 

For long distance, I prefer my Mustang with a sheepskin cover. 

The thing about the ultimate seats is that they're a very wide seat.  It will make putting your feet down a little harder.  If you have problems flat footing now, you probably don't want an Ultimate....at least for me, it made it more difficult. 

[slabghost]

Further back and up sounds good to me. Stock tour seat is a bit wide for me.

[Bighead]

I would sit on all 3 ultimates before buying , they put the nurs where they don't belong,I have had a musta g for 15 yrs and love it although it is getting tired but ultimate out for me.

[davit]

I've noticed my seat foam loses it's resiliency after being  in the sun, (I commute and work's parking lot has no shade);  just a few minutes on the hot seat puts me in pain.  Also after riding for a period of time it heats up and compresses and feels like I am sitting directly on the seat pan. 

Interestingly my wife has no complaints after a long day.  I assume the bikes previous owners seldom had a pillion.

Switching to non-cotton underwear with flat seams helps.  A LOT.

I  will be taking my seat to an upholstery shop for fresh foam.

[Paladin528]

Under Armour Compression shorts under your pants when riding makes a huge difference as well.  Seems are flat and the material wicks away the sweat. 
I find the Corbin seat too hard.

[doubletee]

Ultimate seats...   

+1 - Ultimate Big Boy will give you about another 1" of leg room. As someone else said, get different risers that put the bars back towards you 1/2" - 1".

[BlueLine984]

My wife and a cheated since I suffer from 90 year old "I scratched it off" no ass syndrome...We bought Gel pads for a 16" Western Saddle on ebay and it's PERFECT now.

[salty1]

It hasn't been mentioned yet, an Airhawk cushion can do wonders. The one I use is shown in the site below.
https://www.bikercushion.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=CRUISERMEDIUM

[slabghost]

I'll keep the pads in mind. I bought another seat to try. Hopefully it'll be good enough for me. Might still need a pad for the bride.

[chnulleri]

Hi, I live in Switzerland and I have a Mustang and an ultimate Big Boy and i prefer the Ultimate! The Mustang was very nice to sit on, but I had problems to put my feet on the ground (I'm 6" tall). The Ultimate is a bit less wide in the front which helps me to reach the ground better. I have also other risers which look like the original but are just a little longer and that makes a big difference. I have Wilbers Springs from germany and thats why my Valk is a little higher, but I wanted more "groundspace" for leaning into the bends!

[old2soon]

Sheepskin on a stock I/S seat with a backrest and this 70 year old butt has done 5-600 mile days with just normal hurt at the end of the day but a nights rest and I'm ready again! If the boyz ain't comfy it makes for a less than good ride. And I have a set of one inch risers which made MY ride way more comfortable. At 6' 2" with a 32" inseam and about 230 lbs before dinner.  Even with my A T T D/S choice I can flat foot her easy. If yer interested I got my sheepskin at Ikea. RIDE SAFE.

[mike72903]

The ultimate does have a reputation of making some men uncomfortable so "Try before you buy".  I bought a used set and took them off within an hour and resold them.  Wife hated the passenger seat as well.  I love my mustang set but others prefer ultimates.  It's very individual.

[slabghost]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I seem to be doing better with the bars further forward now. I now have another seat to try. As soon as I figure out how to swap them. I've also been looking for a driver backrest. Most it seem do not fold down and they are pricey. I like the idea of the sheepskin cover. Will be looking into those.

[nogrey]

:cooldude:Thanks a lot guys I'll be looking into that seat. Any reports on the mustang seats?

Mustang seats sit you higher and further back that any seat that I've had (including the ultimate king big boy).  Mustang is a firmer ride and probably not for everybody, but I keep going back to it as my main seat (also have a Corbin). 

For long distance, I prefer my Mustang with a sheepskin cover. 

The thing about the ultimate seats is that they're a very wide seat.  It will make putting your feet down a little harder.  If you have problems flat footing now, you probably don't want an Ultimate....at least for me, it made it more difficult. 

Interesting. I thought I was the only one. I have a set of mustang seats for my interstate and another for my tourer. I also have an ultimate lowboy for my I/S. I rode 2500 miles to Inzane and back on the ultimate. It's much more comfortable than the stock I/S (2001) seat, but not as comfortable to me as the mustang is. I think the ultimate is a nice looking seat, but so is the mustang. My friends all swear by their ultimates, but I think I prefer the mustang. I'm a 32" inseam so touching the ground isn't a factor.

[Steve K (IA)]

Mustang was the first aftermarket seat I put on my I/S.  Where they put the stitching along the sides, it cut into the back side of my upper legs.  Also, because the Mustang is so hard and flat, under sudden/hard braking I would slide (partially) up on to the tank. 
Ended up with a Big Boy on my I/S and am fairly happy.  I have done 650, 900 and 1000 mile days on it and survived.  Put a King on my Std. along with a Utopia backrest.  OMG....Purrrfect!  I need to do this to my I/S, but those seats are pricey. I would switch the seat between the two, but the King is made for a Std.  It won't latch down on the I/S.   

[john]

2000 Honda seat will make your butt grin over the earlier seats     
    their still out there ... under a hundred bucks .... like night and day             
      unless you have 500 700 bucks that's just in your way     
          the old one is like sit'in on a picket fence , huh ?           

[MarkT]

I've had 4 seats.  Of course the OEM on my 98 std which was the WORST - good for 20 minutes before my butt was crying for mercy. Rebuilt it using the Rood Saddle Mod which was very comfortable. http://www.horseapple.com/Valkyrie/Tech_Tips/Rood_Saddle_Mod/rood_saddle_mod.html  



But the S.O. wanted a good back seat too, and I was in a position to get a new 4-piece Mustang at half price, so I sold my custom seat which paid for the Mustang.  I was happy after the long break-in, but wifey got her own bike and I got a Gold Wing, so I solo'd the bike by selling the Mustang setup which mostly paid for the beautiful looking Ultimate Big Boy.  Nice looking seat but my butt has been unhappy ever since.  I've put an OEM pillion back on the bike, so I can haul luggage and an occasional co-rider.  But it's just a stop-gap.

Seats are very personal.  What one guy loves, another won't.  Except for the custom-built Russell Day-Long seats.  I have never heard of an unhappy Russell owner - absolutely everyone loves theirs. Assuming the seats were made for them.

So I'm having a Russell system built. They are not cheap.  But worth it, if  butt misery will be in the rear-view.  I expect to be done with seat comfort. Not to mention, I'm having them custom colored and embroidered with my designs, besides being built specifically for my weight and inseam and posture, including feet up on the highway pegs.

The setup with my options is over $1200.  Not counting the cost of the OEM seat pans and pass backrest.

To me, after 18 years of fiddling with it, the cost will be worth the butt happiness.  And the custom look.  It will be almost 2 months before I get the seat system.  I expect I'll post pics here and report a happy butt...  Can't wait.

http://day-long.com/

[slabghost]

2000 Honda seat will make your butt grin over the earlier seats     
    their still out there ... under a hundred bucks .... like night and day             
      unless you have 500 700 bucks that's just in your way     
          the old one is like sit'in on a picket fence , huh ?           

Absolutely like sitting on a picket fence but work is only a 20 minute ride. I haven't found a 2000 seat on fleabay yet. I do have another to try. If it isn't any better I may try to redo the original. This bike is just too much fun to leave home for longer trips.

[PAVALKER]

Brand new 2000 seat is fairly cheap.....

https://www.partzilla.com/index.php?pcsid=5kdsl724u9cjlvshvthp2al9n2&p=cart

[BF]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I seem to be doing better with the bars further forward now. I now have another seat to try. As soon as I figure out how to swap them. I've also been looking for a driver backrest. Most it seem do not fold down and they are pricey. I like the idea of the sheepskin cover. Will be looking into those.

I'm not all that familiar with every backrest available, but I do know that the backrests that come with the Mustang seats folds forward for easy dismount.

The backrests that come with the Ultimate seats do the same.  

The backrests that come with Corbin seats are stationary....don't move except to pull the straight up for removal.  

I love my Mustang's backrest. 

[davit]

I installed these $65 bar risers last week and was amazed at the improvement in both comfort and handling.

It sounds counterintuitive but the slight change in riding position made the seat more comfortable.

The additional rise gives the bars more leverage, so initiating a turn and holding a line, even adjusting a line mid turn is smoother and more accurate, both at speed and slow speed.

That said, the kit came with 5/16-20 bolts and not the m8-1.25 mother Honda has tapped into the original risers (all four of 'em!).    Have a tap and die set at the ready if you go this route...


http://www.twistedthrottle.com/handlebar-risers-honda-shadow-valkyrie-magna-vtx1300-pacific-coast-pc800-with-1-inch-diameter-handlebars

[davit]

Edit: re-cut the threads on the bolts, not the risers.  20 minutes worth of work, a piece of cake and no big deal if you hadn't just spent the previous 20 minutes fing up the riser threads trying to make sae threads work in metric.

The actual install is seamless, with no rerouting of cables or hoses.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Edit: re-cut the threads on the bolts, not the risers.  20 minutes worth of work, a piece of cake and no big deal if you hadn't just spent the previous 20 minutes fing up the riser threads trying to make sae threads work in metric.

The actual install is seamless, with no rerouting of cables or hoses.

Wouldnt it be better to buy metric bolts ?

[davit]

Edit: re-cut the threads on the bolts, not the risers.  20 minutes worth of work, a piece of cake and no big deal if you hadn't just spent the previous 20 minutes fing up the riser threads trying to make sae threads work in metric.

The actual install is seamless, with no rerouting of cables or hoses.

Wouldnt it be better to buy metric bolts ?

Yes.  If you can find them in 20 minutes.

[old2soon]

Edit: re-cut the threads on the bolts, not the risers.  20 minutes worth of work, a piece of cake and no big deal if you hadn't just spent the previous 20 minutes fing up the riser threads trying to make sae threads work in metric.

The actual install is seamless, with no rerouting of cables or hoses.

Wouldnt it be better to buy metric bolts ?

Yes.  If you can find them in 20 minutes.

          Got a VERY similar set from a board member here PLUS it came with the proper length metric bolts.  The difference one silly inch made is almost incalculable.  What MarkT said about comfort being very individual-lotsa folks still can't believe I'm on a stock seat.  Long as t werx fer me!  RIDE SAFE.

[BF]

There was an eBay seller selling those for Valk specific a while back.  I bought a set but haven't found the time to install them yet.  They were 65 bucks.